John Birch (rugby league)
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| Full name | John Wilkinson Birch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1 June 1878 Garforth, West Riding of Yorkshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 10 October 1953 (aged 75) Barwick-in-Elmet, West Riding of Yorkshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 5 ft 11.5 in (1.816 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 13 st 0 lb (83 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Forward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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John Wilkinson Birch (1878 – 10 October 1953) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1890s and 1900s. He played at representative level for Great Britain and England, and at club level for Leeds Parish Church and Leeds, as a forward.
Birch was born on 1 June 1878 and baptised on Christmas Day 1878 at St Mary's church Garforth, Leeds. His father was George Birch of Barrowby Lane who was a very large man weighing around 24 stone and also a very well known character of Garforth known to the villagers as Scribbin Birch, His mother was Alice Ellen Smith of Garforth he married Annie Simpson of Kippax in 1898.